Keith Ellison has gotten a smooth ride in his campaign to head the DMV despite his past ties to a racist cult that believes white people are devils who were created by a mad scientist and will be exterminated by UFOs.

The racist and Anti-Semitic Nation of Islam cult has always been lurking in Ellison’s bio and the congressman has defended the group and the anti-Semitism of NOI leaders in the past while getting a pass on it. But Ellison may now be pursuing a big enough job that questions are being asked about it. And Keith X Ellison is dodging them.

Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, considered an early favorite to be the next Democratic National Committee chair, bailed on an interview with the New York Times after he found out they were going to ask about his praise for a notorious anti-Semite.

The nation’s first Muslim congressman, Ellison has faced questions over his praise for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, his ties to a group linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and the fact that he campaigned for an activist who encouraged Palestinian Muslims to “embrace the jihad way.”

Ellison defended Farrakhan — whose history of anti-Semitism is well documented by the Anti-Defamation League — in the 1990s, saying Farrakhan is “not an anti-Semite.”

The New York Times reported Tuesday night that “Aides to Mr. Ellison were going to make him available for a telephone interview, but then declined when informed that he would be asked about his past comments on Mr. Farrakhan.”

The left has worked hard to silence questions about Ellison’s Anti-Semitic past, but this is a sign that the issue is breaking out. Similar questions were raised about Obama and his ties to the ugly bigotry of Jeremiah Wright. So Ellison has a ready made template for dodging the issue. And the left has a template for dismissing the question. But it’s going to be a lot harder for Ellison to claim he didn’t know.